Here at OOIDA headquarters, we often refer to the words or
the work of Life Member and past General Vice President Bob Driscoll Jr. Even
though Bob succumbed to cancer in 2003, his work is very much a part of our
daily operations. So who was this storied guy?

He joined OOIDA in 1984 and spent nearly 20 years of his
life making trucking a better place to work.

He was pure Jersey with the tenacity of a pitbull and the
heart of an Irish poet. In fact, he wrote poetry, beautiful poetry, and was
president of the New Jersey Poet’s Society. He was a friend and mentor to me. I
could tell many stories about him, but today I’ll just share a couple of my old
favorites.

Because of his experience with trucking and hazmat, Bob was
very involved with hazmat training and response for years. When hazmat rules
were developed, he served as OOIDA’s representative. He was dedicated to
exposing the dangers of “toxic backhauls” and led the Association’s charge to crack
down on appalling practices.

Years ago, Geraldo Rivera wanted someone from OOIDA to
appear on his show to discuss using reefers to haul food one way and chemical
or biohazardous stuff back. Most truckers would be a bit intimidated by
Geraldo, whose habit was to chew you up on the spot. Who from OOIDA could get
our message across and at the same time handle Geraldo? It was, of course, Bob
Driscoll.

About the same time, he represented truckers by presenting
OOIDA testimony to members of the U.S. Congress. The lawmakers were discussing
at one point the practice of hauling medical waste in reefers. Those who
claimed a plastic-lined reefer trailer was sufficient protection had their say.
Plastic was spread out on the floor and purported to be tear-resistant. When it
was Bob’s turn to speak, he waved around a sample of this super-duty plastic
and demonstrated how tear resistant it was by easily poking his finger right
through it. It was very effective.

For us, losing Bob to cancer was tough, but it was a deep
personal loss to his “other half” and beloved companion, Joanne M. Palladino,
who was as dedicated to education as Bob was to trucking. She is retired from
teaching but still serves as president of the National Education Association’s
Italian-American Caucus.

Last week, Joanne arrived from New Jersey, making a surprise
visit to OOIDA’s Grain Valley, MO, headquarters. She had not been here since
Bob died 10 years ago.

She asked to speak to the Board and on Friday delivered an
emotional and eloquent speech that made jaws drop and tears flow. In Bob’s
memory, she presented a check for $10,000 to the OOIDA Mary Johnston
Scholarship Fund. It was one of the largest contributions made by an individual
to the scholarship fund since its inception in 1998.

In her speech, she stressed the importance of “familia” in
her Italian-American upbringing and added a sentiment that really moved me.

“And that’s what we are at OOIDA,” she said. “Familia …”

It was a great moment. And now I have a new Driscoll story
that joins my list of favorites.

About this blog

The Land Line Media Blog gives you an insider's look at the trucking industry and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, told through the stories, anecdotes and opinions of the Land Line Magazine staff.